Amman: Minister of Interior Mazen Farrayeh and Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badria Balbisi reviewed the institutional culture assessment at the Ministry of Interior as part of the second phase of the public sector institutional culture assessment project.
According to Jordan News Agency, Farrayeh emphasized the importance of advancing public sector modernisation in all its components to align with the Royal vision and complement the political and economic modernisation tracks. He advocated for institutionalising and developing a strong organisational culture across the public sector, highlighting it as a critical component of modernisation. This, he noted, would ensure operational continuity and sustainability through standardised procedures and an institutional approach that does not rely on individual employees' preferences.
Farrayeh also affirmed the Interior Ministry's commitment to objectively and effectively implementing the assessment requirements. This commitment aims to identify strengths and weaknesses, determine areas for improvement and development, and create appropriate plans to address these issues.
Balbisi highlighted that the methodology underpinning the public sector institutional culture assessment project aims to assess the current situation and develop plans for improvement, ultimately enhancing performance and the quality of public services. She clarified that the methodology does not rank government institutions against each other to determine which is "best." Rather, institutional culture is a component of the second executive programme of the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap, focusing on transforming daily behaviour within public institutions. This involves translating the values and principles on which these institutions are founded, such as integrity and transparency, into practical practices that serve Jordanians.
One of the key outcomes of the second executive programme, according to Balbisi, is a citizen-centric government. This objective extends beyond service providers to those responsible for drafting legislation and developing plans, ensuring all government efforts are directed toward serving citizens and providing the best possible services. She called for a cohesive government that operates as one unit to serve citizens, service recipients, and investors, in line with the programme's outcomes. She urged establishing this approach as a core value and culture across all public institutions, from frontline employees to senior leadership.
Khaled Abu Hammour, the Ministry's Secretary-General, outlined the current state of institutional culture at the Ministry of Interior, noting the Ministry's early efforts to foster such a culture through various mechanisms, particularly training programmes. Yasser Nsour, Secretary-General of the Civil Service and Public Administration Commission, added that institutional culture seeks to transform the approach to service delivery and reinforce positive values in public sector employees' behaviour and performance.
Nsour explained that the first phase of the organisational culture assessment project began last year and covered 28 government departments. The second phase, covering 24 departments, seeks to develop an organisational culture assessment model. The assessment process takes two days and includes field visits to service delivery sites, as well as meetings with directorate managers, section heads, and a sample of employees.
The second phase of the project, implemented by the Civil Service and Public Administration Commission in cooperation with the Public Sector Modernisation Programme Management and Implementation Unit, aims to diagnose organisational culture and behaviour across 24 government departments. The assessment seeks to identify gaps between current practices and the target culture and develop interventions tailored to each institution's specific needs.
The review was attended by the Ministry's Secretary-General, Khaled Abu Hammour, and directorate heads.